The Red Crane- Cupertino, CA

This Memorial Day weekend, the wife & decided to drive up to Northern California where the food is Hella good (that's NorCal talk). Our first stop was in Cupertino, a snazzy town near San Jose.

An old friend of mine started a restaurant over a year ago called The Red Crane. So, this one is going to be really biased (hey, I'll be upfront about it).

The Red Crane is located in an inconspicuous shopping center, so it's definitely a destination spot. The dining room has a modern Japanese inspired vibe about it. The clientele seems to cover the spectrum. We had an old geezer sitting next to us who couldn't stop staring at our table. Then across the room you have the hipster twenty-somethings. The couple we brought with us were vegetarians which Chef Royce Mori (that's my buddy) gladly accommodated.

The food is Japanese fusion. You can tell from the dishes that these guys were trained in fine dining (Royce used to work for Roy's).

First up was the fusionized edamame. They cook the soy beans up in a teriyaki like concoction. Who would have ever thought of jazzing up your basic edamame. Good job Royce.
Next up were some takes on sushi rolls. First was a Dragon Roll-like dish. It contained Shrimp Tempura, Salmon, Avocado and Tomato Salsa. The salsa made this one a winner.
Then there was the Kinoko Maki. It looked interesting enough. I dig the plating at these fancy joints. This one was for the Veggie people. They loved it. Maybe I'll give you my take next time. Eh, who am I kidding, I'm a carnivore. Maybe I'll ask to have it with some eel rather than mushroom. Or maybe eel and mushroom!!!
The last roll was the D-Pesto Roll which had Maguro, Hamachi, Sake Cucumber Roll with Japanese Pesto. The sauce on this one was awesome. Pesto on sushi, who woulda thought. I guess I was all for the new sauces on the sushi tonight.
You would have thought that after all that sushi, we'd be finished. But oh no... Royce wasn't done. Next up was a veggie version of the Salmon Tartare where he used tofu instead of fish. I'll be back for the fish version.
The next veggie friendly dish was the Roasted Garlic Chow Mein. I guess this would be Chinese Fusion, right? These noodles had a buttery flavor about them. The veggie people were happy.
Next was something for the carnivores. Have you ever had Chinese Char Siu Pork (aka Barbeque Pork)? Well, take that sweet smoky char siu goodness, and put it on some fish. This is the Char Siu Marinated Alaskan Black Cod. My wife approved this one because she knows how much I love that char siu pork. But this version is much healthier. Women... Geesh.
Now for the star of the evening. Definitely not wifey approved. She didn't see this one coming. Royce sent out one of the best beef dishes I've ever had. This is his Honey-Mustard and Miso Glazed Boneless Short ribs. The beef was so tender, it just fell apart on my fork. The sauce is sweet but not overpowering. If anything, you need to try this. I wonder if he'll give me the recipe to try at home. I'm not sure how the wife feels about driving six hours for some short ribs.
We finished off the evening with the Panna Cotta Sampler which consisted of Lychee, Passion Fruit and Mango. They were creamy and full of flavor. A good way to end a meal. Although they are samplers, you definitely want to share them.
Royce, you've out-done yourself. You've come a long way from bacon fried rice days in college. Although, I would have ordered that too if it were on the menu.
(That's right buddy, I jacked a picture of you from your Facebook).

That's all for now kids.

The Red Crane
7335 Bollinger Rd, Suite C
Cupertino, CA 95014
tel: 408.725.1990


I'm from LA Trick.